


Corruption

by RicochetRomance



Series: My Grandmaster [1]
Category: Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: M/M, Pathfinder Society, Power Imbalance, Roleplaying Character, Scheming, Short, Social Anxiety, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 15:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10722483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RicochetRomance/pseuds/RicochetRomance
Summary: An amusing and welcome development - it seemed that this agent already had a subversive streak. "That's very admirable of you," Torch smiled, offering more hollow praise.---In which a shy little Undine first encounters the twisted man who will change his life forever.





	Corruption

**Author's Note:**

> Originally shared with my Pathfinder RPG group via Google Doc, cross-posting here to share it with a larger audience. 
> 
> Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10N-ZhQX6S0vhdLiC80I_CbjBXGTEkr9rfKAuG3ENj-g/edit?usp=sharing

Grandmaster Torch had been expecting a contingent of agents from the Pathfinder Society any day now, sent by their masters to grovel at his feet and beg for the information he possessed about the Sapphire Sage Jewel.

He hadn't been expecting there to only be one singular Pathfinder, a waifish little Undine who had shyly introduced himself as Orion. However, the unexpected wasn't always unpleasant - this time, it presented a unique opportunity.

The Grandmaster reclined in his bath, the cool water caressing his burned skin, noticing how the Undine's gaze seemed to constantly gravitate back to him despite repeated self-conscious attempts to look away. A promising start.

"It seems the hiring standards of the Society have improved," Torch smirked at the younger man with amusement. "Until recently, they'd have sent a four-man team of bumbling, half-baked Pathfinders on a mission like this. You must be quite the elite agent to replace an entire team."

Orion blushed vibrantly. "There, um, there is an entire team," he explained hesitantly. "They told me that they didn’t want anything to do with this mission, and that I should do it myself."

The Grandmaster's smirk broadened at this simply worded yet deeply telling explanation. "That's hardly fair of them, leaving you to do all the work," he replied smoothly.

"It's okay," Orion smiled gently. "If they don't want to, they don't have to - but I don't want to get in trouble. They can stay in the tavern, but I'm still going to do our mission." The young man didn't so much as flinch as he made this admission, seeming not at all afraid of the consequences.

An amusing and welcome development - it seemed that this agent already had a subversive streak. "That's very admirable of you," Torch smiled, offering more hollow praise.

Orion was drifting steadily closer to his bath, no longer bothering to avert his gaze. When the half-orcs who guarded Torch shifted with discomfort, hands reaching for the hilts of their weapons, he waved them off, letting the younger man approach. This was all going according to plan.

"You'll probably want to know what the mission actually is first," the Grandmaster raised a wry eyebrow.

The words snapped Orion out of his trancelike approach, barely a foot away from the edge of the bath. "Y-yes," he stammered, ducking his head with embarrassment. 

The Grandmaster gestured to one of his guards, who handed the Undine a sheet of paper. It detailed the instructions for the tasks he would need to perform in order to earn the information that the Society so desperately wanted – and such valuable information didn't come cheaply.

As Orion read over the document, he occasionally peeked up over the edge of the paper, sneaking glances at the smugly lounging Grandmaster. 

Torch was oddly pleased. It had been so long since he'd had the opportunity to properly corrupt a Pathfinder, and this one had been easily swayed by a mere handful of honeyed words. Either he was still in command of the full extent of his charismatic and persuasive charm, or Orion was hopelessly naive - and he was hoping for the former.

The Undine finished reading, and returned his full attention to the Grandmaster.

"That was quite quick," the older man couldn't resist adding a bit more superficial praise. "Do you understand what's expected of you?"

"Yes!" Orion nodded emphatically. Then, he hesitated for a moment, seeming unsure, "but I don't understand why you're, um, all hurt like this."

Torch could have laughed out loud - luck was being far too good to him today. This agent truly knew nothing about him, about his past, or more importantly, about his crimes.

"It's a curse of mine," he replied with amusement. "Injuries that can never be healed - not even by magic."

Contrary to his expectations, Orion didn't seem repulsed. Instead, brows furrowed with worry, he leaned in closer to get a better look at the cursed burns. It didn't escape Torch's notice that his fingertips twitched slightly, as though he longed to reach out and touch them.

Now this was truly unexpected - even in the days when Torch had controlled and manipulated dozens upon dozens of Pathfinders, he had never experienced a reaction to his condition that was anything short of revulsion.

Orion's curious fascination was, for lack of a better word, flattering.

One of the Grandmaster's half-orc guards cleared his throat, and the little Undine snapped back to reality, looking even more embarrassed than before.

"Um, I guess I should go and get started?" Orion asked hesitantly.

"Probably," Torch drawled. "If you're as skilled as you look, though, you'll be back in plenty of time to examine me over dinner." Flattery, teasing, and a proposition - the perfect trifecta to secure his victory.

As he'd expected, Orion blushed again, turning a particularly cute shade of crimson. "I'll try my best," the Undine nodded, "...for you."

As Orion left, seeming determined to succeed at the tasks that he'd been given, the Grandmaster couldn't keep himself from grinning - that had been laughably easy. A few more under-informed, easily-corruptible agents, and he'd be well on his way to recreating the Shadow Lodge.

Torch would soon find himself re-evaluating that prideful notion, however. As it turned out, Orion was perhaps less ‘corrupted’ than he was ‘hopelessly infatuated’.

It was still a promising start.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all feedback is appreciated.


End file.
